Excerpt: "This NYTimes report should lay to rest these long-debunked yet oft-repeated talking points on the part of both right-wing media and their conservative allies."

New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick's series "A Deadly Mix in Benghazi" debunks a number of right-wing talking points about the attack on the U.S. consulate. (photo: ABC)

NYTimes Investigation Shuts Down Benghazi Hoaxers

By Ari Rabin-Havt, Hilary Tone, Media Matters for America

29 December 13

six-part series by New York Times reporter David Kirkpatrick destroyed several myths about the September 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomaticfacilities in Benghazi, Libya,myths often propagated by conservative media and their allies in Congress to politicize the attack against the Obama administration.

Since the September 2012 attacks, right-wing media have seized upon various inaccurate, misleading, or just plain wrong talking points about Benghazi. Some of those talking points made their way into the mainstream, most notably onto CBS' 60 Minutes,earning the network theMedia Matters' 2013"Misinformer of the Year"title for its botched report.

Kirkpatrick's series, titled "A Deadly Mix In Benghazi," debunks a number of these right-wing talking points based on "months of investigation" and "extensive interviews" with those who had "direct knowledge of the attack." Among other points, Kirkpatrickdeflates the claims that an anti-Islamic YouTube video played no role in motivating the attacks and that Al Qaeda was involved in the attack:

Months of investigation by The New York Times, centered on extensive interviews with Libyans in Benghazi who had direct knowledge of the attack there and its context, turned up no evidence that Al Qaeda or other international terrorist groups had any role in the assault. The attack was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO's extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi. And contrary to claims by some members of Congress, it was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made video denigrating Islam.

Fox News, scores of Republican pundits, and Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC), among others, dragged then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice through the mud for citing talking points that mentioned an anti-Islamic YouTube videoon Sundaymorning news programs following the attacks.Despite right-wing media claims to the contrary, however, Kirkpatrick stated that the attack on the Benghazi compound was in "large part" "fueled" by the anti-Islamic video posted on YouTube. He wrote (emphasis added):

The attack was led, instead, by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO's extensive air power and logistics support during the uprising against Colonel Qaddafi. And contrary to claims by some members of Congress,it was fueled in large part by anger at an American-made video denigrating Islam.[...]There is no doubt that anger over the video motivated many attackers.A Libyan journalist working for The New York Times was blocked from entering by the sentries outside, and he learned of the film from the fighters who stopped him.Other Libyan witnesses, too, said they received lectures from the attackers about the evil of the film and the virtue of defending the prophet.

Another talking point that right-wing media used to accuse the Obama administration of a political cover-up was the removal of Al Qaeda from Rice's morning show talking points.Kirkpatrick, however, affirmed in his NYTimes report thatAl Qaeda was not involved in the attack in Benghazi (emphasis added):

But the Republican arguments appear to conflate purely local extremist organizations like Ansar al-Shariah with Al Qaeda's international terrorist network. The only intelligence connecting Al Qaeda to the attack was an intercepted phone call that night from a participant in the first wave of the attack to a friend in another African country who had ties to members of Al Qaeda, according to several officials briefed on the call. But when the friend heard the attacker's boasts, he sounded astonished, the officials said, suggesting he had no prior knowledge of the assault.

Kirkpatrick also dispelled the notion that the attack on the compound was carefully planned, writing that "the attack does not appear to have been meticulously planned, but neither was it spontaneous or without warning signs."

This NYTimes report should lay to rest these long-debunked yet oft-repeated talking points on the part of both right-wing media and their conservative allies.

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Sources like the NYT and other reputable media should have laid to rest a variety of untruths and "scandals" given birth by the right-wing media. Unfortunately it has been blatantly clear for some time now that right-wing media and much of the American public don't give a flying **** for the truth about anything. Whatever it is that they want, it certainly is NOT the truth. If we had an honest media and politicians and a public who respect the truth, we would never have suffered the huge political and economic problems that we are in the midst of now; Fox News would never have survived, and corporate owned media would not be the self-censoring behemoth it is today. This is ALL because a segment of the voters, the political parties and the media decided in 1994, around the time of Gingrich's Contract with America, that it's just fine to tinker with the truth and cheat in elections to gain one's desired ends. Thus sayeth the world's model for democratic government.

Trying the same old lie about the video proves there is NOTING valid in the NY Times report. NO ONE in the world knew anything about that video until AFTER Obama and Hillary announced it. The NY Times and the morons that read it still are the pathetic wasteland that votes for communist agenda. Benghazi is Obama's Watergate. It is the cover-up after the fact that should get that weazle impeached.

Trying the same old lie about the video proves there is NOTING valid in the NY Times report. NO ONE in the world knew anything about that video until AFTER Obama and Hillary announced it. The NY Times and the morons that read it still are the pathetic wasteland that votes for communist agenda. Benghazi is Obama's Watergate. It is the cover-up after the fact that should get that weazle impeached.

Argument ad hominem (essentially, argument by insult) is a well-known desperation tactic by debaters who can't win on the merits, Penn. As for impeachment, keep dreaming. That worked SO well last time . . . !

"At various times between September 11 and 17, eight other diplomatic missions in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe were subject to protests and violent attacks in response to an inflammatory video, Innocence of Muslims." And the video was circulated, and Muslim anger was expressed, well before Obama or Hillary had anything to say about it. See "Reactions to 'Innocence of Muslims'" in Wikipedia.

Penn, there were protests back in *2010* over 'Pastor' Terry Jones's *threats* to burn 200 Qurans; the threat sparked protests throughout the Middle East and Asia where a total of over 20 people were killed as a result!

On 20 March 2011, Jones held a 'Trial of the Quran' in his church; he found the Quran guilty of 'crimes against humanity' - mind you, this was with NO LEGAL AUTHORITY WHATSOEVER - and burned it in his church sanctuary!

That time, it sparked attacks against the UN Assistance Mission in Mazar-l-Sharif, Afghanistan. 30 people killed, over 150 injured.

And that was BEFORE the video!

The truth is that ONE CHRISTIAN WACKJOB was responsible for at LEAST 50 deaths and HUNDREDS injured as a result of his BS!

The truth is that the WORLD knew about 'Pastor' Terry Jones and his religious treason LONG before the video came out!

Now, if a Muslim threatened to burn a *Bible*, EVERY religious wackjob would be calling for a Holy War in response, so the Muslim reaction to having THEIR holy book burned was understandable...

So why is it so hard for YOU to believe that the video sparked a LOT of protests, INCLUDING the Benghazi tragedy?

BTW, the NYT is honored as the best newspaper in the world, but the editorial board is conservative, so they sometimes do stuff like backing Bush's illegal wars, while the honest reporters there report on its' stupidity. Working there must be a real adventure for those on the political beat.

A couple of reports and quotes immediately following the attack in Benghazi quickly disappeared, just as after the attack on the WTC. I never found out who the man was, but he knew the situation in and around the building and the people involved. He declared the diplomat did not like having too many guards around him, preferring instead to walk freely among the people he lived around. Therefore there were few in or around the building.

All of his comments disappeared except for one blurb on NPR. There were other angry comments, just as after 9/11 concerning the events. Those are gone, as well.

It's amazing anybody had the stamina to carry through with a thorough investigation. A LOT of bull had to be waded through.

Sadly, the Loons on the Right don't believe ANYTHING unless it's broadcast by "Fixed" News. They refuse to acknowledge that President Obama's Administration might be blameless because they want to Sink Hillary's hopes for 2016. Darryl Issa almost smacks his lips and rubs his palms together in anticipation. Pitiful!

Yeah, the honesty of the NYT is amazing...a bunch of assault rifles ( real ones, not the sporting rifle types ) and rpg's were just laying around waiting for these angry people to simply pass by on their way to the compound. Amazing the lengths that liberals will go to while trying to make Billary and the anointed one look almost human!!

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